The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1887-07-15

jumped in, and began to rock from sidt
to side, and to tell how they dared ride
away down TO the mill-dam in her; and
next two little girls thought they would
get in, too, if the boys wouldn't rock
and the boys promised, with a sarcastic
side-speech about girls and 'fraid-cats
and soon all four were seated OIL the
pretty green-and-wh benches.
Then, in some way, the boat got adrift.
Perhaps the boat was only drawn upon
the sand, and the rocking pushed il off.
Perhaps some mischievous boy united the
rope. At all events, it was caught by
the current, and began TO glide dowa the
treacherous stream
When Miss Allen heard the sepams,
and looked from the frantic group on the
shore to the tiny boat out On the river,
her very heart seemed TO stand still. To
stay so near, and safe and well, yet utter
ly powerless, while those children in heI
care sped on to death. Her senses
swan.
The sunny sparkles on the river shone
in her eyes like electric flashes. She
seemed to see, already, the little faces,
cold and dead, and the limbs all crushed
and mangled, and she heard the reproach-
full cries oftheir parents.
And Jim-who might, at least, have
run swiftly and given the alarm-what
was Jim doingl
Nothing.
Or next to nothing; so it seemed.
He did not even rise at first. One
glance up the river with his keen bluS
eyes, and he went on working at his rope:
He was making a loop of on end. He
did not seem to hurry, but he wasted
motion. 2
Holding the loop in his right hanS
while the coils still hung upop- his u, =
arm, he waded through the shallow shoH
water to the edge of the deeper channel
His quick glance seemed to takoin every
thing, the current, the riyer-bottom, aud
the banks. Even the light wind from
the west was tested an instant with his
upheld hand. There was no hurry, no
flutter, but every nerve was awake, and
every muscle true to call.
The boat was moving faster now. She
quivered and thrilled with the strong
and dangerous current. She has foated
past.
No. Lookl With one supple motion,
Jim has thrown his loop. 1t speeds
through the air like a live thing, and
falls, true to aim, just where the
frightened children can grasp it best.
Quick as thought, Jim moves with the
boat, managing the rope so that it shall
not tighten to soon. Above the medley
of sounds rises his clear, ringing voice,
and they hear and obey his rapid direc-
tons.
Pass the rope the long way of the
boat. Every one take holdl Now
hold fast -
They do hold fast. Eight little hands,
with the strength Of desperation, clutch
the rope. With a long, steady, even
pull, Jim heads the boat for the shore,
and grounds it on the shadows.
Here my story might end, if Jim had
known how to wade in a pebbly-bottom
river. But as he laid hold of the prov,
and pulled with all his strength to draw
it further up, his foot slipped among the
smooth. water-wOrn stones, and he fell
heavily, and struck his head upon a
sharp rock And when, at last, some
men came running to help, they found
the children safe on shore, but jim Law
senseless in the shallow. while Miss
Allen. with her pretty dress all soaked
and cIinping. held his head out of the
wafer
of course. Jim was the hero of the day.
He professed great chagrin because he
,,-.,s s.fonI apnu1b IN bur3 himself ~ ,ut